


Once seen, never forgotten

by todd_casil



Category: Invader Zim, jthm - Fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2019-04-06 12:27:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14057004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/todd_casil/pseuds/todd_casil





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I throw my blanket onto the ground as I sit up and stretch. I roll out of bed and stumble to the bathroom. After using the toilet, I stare at myself in the mirror. A tan skinned boy with a mini afro stares back at me.  
I hate my afro, but no matter how I comb it, it always pops back up. So I live with it. Zak thinks I should grow it really big and put a little comb in it, to which Darren would reply, "if you grow a big afro, I will never hang out with you again!"  
I walk back into my bedroom just as my cell phone starts vibrating. I pick it up and read a text from Darren. "Where r u? The ceremony is starting in ten."  
I twitch and check the time. "Aw, crap!" I exclaim. I quickly throw off my pyjamas and grab my school uniform. I pull on my black dress pants and button up my shirt as I ran down the stairs.  
"Good morning, Vince," Mom greets happily, "want some breakfast?"  
"Can't. I'm late. Gotta go!" I yell as I pull on my high-tops and run out the front door.   
I charge down the sidewalk as I fix my cuffs. I wrap my tie around my neck and sloppily tie it up. I wobble up the steps and fall through the front door of the school. I look at the auditorium and smile when I see that everyone is still waiting. I made it.  
"It's about time you got here," Darren snaps as I lumber to him.  
"Sorry, I must've slept in," I pant.  
"Jeez, your uniform looks awful. Where did you learn to tie a tie?" he sighs.  
"School. Where else?" I ask as I look at my uniform. The shirt is mis-buttoned and the tie is horrible crooked.  
"Jeez, you're hopeless," he mutters and starts fixing my tie.  
Darren's been my friend since junior high. Truth be told, he probably just hangs out with me as thanks for saving him from a group of bullies in grade seven. He's the kind of kid who could get into Princeton with the highest honours. He's incredibly smart and neat.  
He's about a foot shorter than me with short blonde hair that's always combed nicely, icy blue eyes, and pale skin. I don't really know why we're friends, we're complete opposites. Still, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy his company.  
"Hey, lovebirds," Zak laughs as he walks over to us. Darren scoffs as he tightens my tie and turns away from us. Zak and Darren don't get along as well as I'd like them to.  
I nod at Zak, "cover me while I fix my shirt." He nods and stands in front of me as I re-button my shirt.  
Zak and I have been friend since elementary. We just sort of clicked. He's about a foot taller than me, and much more buff than Darren and I put together. He's got sparkling green eyes and long black hair that almost touches his shoulders. But just because he's good looking doesn't mean he gets all the girls. He's kind of a pig.  
"Man, these uniforms get dorkier every year," I sigh when I finish fixing my shirt.  
"Maybe so, but I maintain that the school board is on our side. They make male uniforms refined and female uniforms hot," Zak says seductively and points at a girl to the right of us, "check it out. Her top is so tight, she's nearly spilling out."  
The girl Zak is ogling is Donna Denmark, otherwise known as double-D, and not because of her initials. She is definitely one of the hottest girls in our class. But that also makes her a bitch. She and her friends barely glance at guys like us.  
Darren elbows Zak as the auditorium doors start opening. The entirety of my class straightens up and marches into the hall as one unit. We spread out and sit quietly in the chairs, our backs straight and hands on our laps. This annoying procedure has been beaten into us since kindergarten.   
I sit between Zak and Darren and glare at Principal Tarnell as he walks onto the stage, his perfect skin, perfect hair, and perfect eyes shining in the bright hall lights.  
"Man, he's gotten even more beautiful," Zak sighs.  
"Is that even possible?" I ask.   
"On his paycheck, anything's possible," Darren scoffs.  
"Children, it's so good to see you again," I supress a shudder as his voice fills my ears, "you should feel proud. In only ten months you will graduate and begin your lives as adults. Huzzah!"  
"Ugh, I hate him," I hiss.  
"Hush. The faculty's watching," Darren warns.   
I zip my lip as the teachers start making their rounds, each of them watching us with their creepy eagle eyes. The teachers in this school are terrifying. Not even the bravest class clown tries to pull any tricks with them watching.  
"Okay, it is time to split you into your classes. When I call your name, please come up and receive your timeline. Afterwards, you may go to your first class," Tarnell explains, "okay, first is Brett Abner."  
Brett stands up and marches to Tarnell like the mind washed zombie he is. He takes his timeline, bows to Tarnell, and goes back to his seat.  
I ignore his voice as he calls more names and look around the auditorium. Everyone looks the same, I don't see any new students. The school board doesn't usually allow new students into the graduating class. If there's a new arrival they're usually sent back to grade eleven.  
A new face catches my eye. A man with messy black hair and dark eyes standing with the teachers. I've never seen him before. Is he new?  
"Vincent Claude."  
I stand up and march to the stage. The whole walk I pray to whatever god will listen "don't let Tarnell talk to me, don't let Tarnell talk to me."  
He smiles and hands me my timeline but just before I can grab it, he whispers, "I'll be at your house later tonight, so you better not be."  
I bite my tongue, rip my timeline out of his hands, and march back to my seat. When I sit down, Zak and Darren pat my shoulders and whisper something to me but I don't hear them. I just focus on the floor and hope that I won't see Tarnell for the rest of the day.  
"Brittany Darl."  
No movement.  
"Brittany Darl?"  
I look around but nobody stands up. It's mandatory for everyone in the graduating class to show up for the ceremony. If someone's absent, they get docked marks they don't even have yet. An overachiever like Brittany wouldn't miss the ceremony for any reason, short of being hospitalized. I wonder where she is.  
"You guys," Zak whispers, "Brittany isn't here."  
"No kidding. So, where is she?" Darren asks.  
"In the hospital."  
Oh, nailed it.  
"Why?" I ask.  
"I don't know the whole story, but I heard she got stabbed," he murmurs.  
"Are you serious?" I exclaim.  
"But that is just a rumour. Maybe it's not true," he shrugs and looks back at the stage. I blink and stare at the floor.  
Why would anyone stab Brittany? She was well liked by everyone in the community, and pretty hot too. Of course, it is just a rumour. Maybe she's just really sick and the story got embellished. Yeah, I'm sure that's it. There's no need to worry.  
I nod affirmatively and look back at the stage. I glare at Tarnell. He meets my glare and smirks. God, he makes me sick.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

There's a reason I hate Principal Tarnell, and it's not just because he's responsible for turning innocent kids into rule following zombies. It's because for the past two years, Tarnell has been my mom's on-again off-again boyfriend.  
Two years ago, when Mom told me that she was dating Tarnell, I didn't think much of it. I mean at school Tarnell always seemed so sophisticated and respectful. But that's just a disguise. He's a disgusting horn dog.   
He doesn't date my mom for her smarts or her kind words. He dates her because she's- ugh- hot. The only reason she spends anytime with her is because he wants to fuck her. And that is why I hate Tarnell.  
"Mister Claude," I look up at Miss Roseanne as she glares daggers at me, "please pay attention. Just because it is the first day of classes does not mean you can spend it daydreaming."  
"My apologies, Miss Roseanne," I bow my head and stare straight at the board.  
"Good," she nods and begins talking about some political crap that I'll never understand in a million years.  
I sigh and glance out the window. Man, it's so beautiful out there. I just want to run home, hide in my room, and forget it exists. But instead I'm forced to sit here and recognize it all.  
The bell rings and I sigh with relief. Just two more classes and I can go home.  
I pick up my books and leave the classroom. As I walk down the hall, I check my timeline. Social Studies is my second class. My first class of the day is supposed to be Phys. Ed- to wake everybody up- but the ceremony took up the entire first block.  
Anyway, now it's lunch time. Thank God. I drop my books off in my locker and walk to the cafeteria.  
"Hey," Zak greets as he and Darren catch up to me.  
"Hey, guys. How was class?" I ask.  
"It sucked. We started learning about post modernism. What the hell is that?" Zak snaps then sighs, "sometimes, I curse myself for being so smart."  
Zak and Darren are in the smarter social class. They learn about much harder and more confusing stuff than my class. Zak may be a horny idiot, but he can be pretty smart.  
"So what's for lunch?" Darren asks.  
"Mom gave me money. I hope the cafeteria has Jell-O," I chirp.  
"I got money as well, but not from my mom; from my part time job," Zak brags.  
"Oh, right, your job. Isn't that digging through couch cushions and drawers to find spare change?" Darren asks sarcastically.  
"Shut up, Darren," Zak snaps, "what do you have?"  
"A bag lunch," he sighs.  
"That's right, because your dad is too cheap to pay for cafeteria lunch," he scoffs.  
"Come on, guys. Stop fighting," I sigh as we get into line.   
"Whatever. I'll go grab a table," Darren says and runs off to the tables.  
Zak and I grab trays and peek around shoulders to get a look at the food. If there's one good thing about this school- and there really is only one good thing- it's the food. It's always fresh and made of real ingredients.  
"Check it out: it's Riley and her entourage," Zak purrs. Riley is the hottest girl in our class, but despite that she's not that much of a bitch. She can actually be pretty nice. She has straight black hair that is never styled but still looks awesome, hazel eyes, and tanned skin.  
Brittany Darl and Donna Denmark are her best friends, but she's also got this little entourage of less hot, but still too hot for us, chicks. But ever since the news of Brittany being in the hospital spread to the public, they've looked rather deflated.  
"You know, Riley is the whole reason I wanted to be in smart social," Zak says.  
"No kidding," I sigh.  
"Yup. Just sitting next to her gets me hot," he moans and licks his lips. I gag to death.  
I smile when we reach the lunch lady. I stick out my tray and ask for mashed potatoes and corn. She apathetically passes me my lunch. I bow to her and, after grabbing raspberry Jell-O, skip to the table.  
"Jeez, calm down. It's only mashes potatoes," Darren laughs.  
"It's not just mashed potatoes," I tut, "it's mashed potatoes with corn and Jell-O."  
"Oh, of course the Jell-O changes everything," he smirks. I smile and dig into my lunch.  
"Hey, check it out. Zak's trying to get lucky," Darren snorts as Zak starts talking to Riley, "he was talking to her all class too. Everyone knows he doesn't have a shot with her."  
"Yeah, but you have to admire his persistence," I shrug.  
"I guess," he sighs and bites his sandwich.  
After a few minutes, Zak skips over to us, his tray filled with all kinds of vegetables.  
"Check it out," he sings as he slams a piece of paper onto the table, "double-D gave me her cell number."  
"Are you serious?" I exclaim and grab the paper. Darren and I stare at it with disbelief.  
"That's right, gentleman," he smirks, "oh, it's always been my dream to fuck one of the popular girls. I can't wait."  
"Uh, uh. No way. I refuse to believe this," Darren snaps and throws the paper into Zak's face, "call it. See if she picks up."  
"I can't call it now. She'll think I'm weird and she'll never let me take her precious virginity," he whines as he pockets the paper.  
"You really think she's a virgin? Really?" I ask.  
"Well, that's what I'll believe when we're burning up my bed… from the friction," he purrs.  
"Your race car bed?" Darren asks.  
"Shut up, Darren," he snaps.  
"I'm with Darren. This is so not double-D's number. Call it after school, and make sure we're around," I demand.  
"Fine," Zak sighs, "then how about we make it interesting? If this really is double-D's number, then you guys have to pay me twenty dollars, each. If it isn't, and she gave me a fake number, then I have to pay each of you twenty dollars."  
"Hold up, so you get forty dollars but we only get twenty?" Darren asks.  
"Each. It's fair," he growls.  
"No it's not. You get forty dollars and I only get twenty," he snaps.  
"You can't expect me to pay eighty dollars," he snaps back.  
"You get forty dollars, so we should each get forty dollars."  
"Guys, stop fighting. Look, you guys can bet twenty dollars between each other. I'll just observe," I tell them.  
"Fine. Agreed?" Zak asks.  
"Agreed," Darren nods and they high five.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Zak and Darren follow close behind me as we stride down the sidewalk. They're arguing about calling double-D: Darren wants him to call her right now but Zak wants to wait few more hours so as not to look desperate. The way I see it, it doesn't matter how long he waits, he'll look desperate either way.  
"Oh," I whimper when my house comes into view. Sitting on the curb is a black corvette with a license plate that I have memorised.  
"Wow, he's early," Zak comments.  
"Do you wanna go to my house?" Darren asks.  
"Yeah, but I have to change first," I sigh. Zak pats my shoulder and we walk through the front door.  
I peek into the living room and groan. Mom and Tarnell are sitting on the couch, their faces inches away and Tarnell feeling up her leg. Fortunately Mom notices me before things get too sick. She smiles that soothing mom smile of hers and walks over to me, leaving Tarnell to feel rejected.  
"Hi, boys," she chirps, "how was school?"  
"It sucked. Those slave drivers we're supposed to call teachers made us start working right away," Zak sighs then smirks, "so we'd very much like a hug to, you know, make us feel better."  
Darren and I fold our arms behind our backs and nod quickly and innocently.  
"Aw, you guys are so cute," she coos and wraps her arms around our shoulders. We hug her back and smirk at Tarnell who glares back at us.  
"So what are your plans?" she asks after she lets us go.  
"After I change I'm gonna go to Darren's. I probably won't be back for supper," I tell her as I start undoing my tie.  
"Okay. Have fun," she smiles and pats my head. When she turns back to Tarnell, I lean closer to Zak and Darren.  
"Don't let him touch her for any reason," I whisper. They nod affirmatively and walk into the living room. I trot up the stairs and run into my room, pulling off my uniform along the way. I pull on a black t-shirt, jeans, and sweater and run back downstairs.  
I smile when I notice Zak and Darren sitting between Mom and Tarnell. They're talking happily with Mom while keeping Tarnell at a respectable distance. Those are my boys.  
"Oh, look, Vince is ready to go," Tarnell says with fake sincerity.  
"Yeah, okay. Come on, guys," I sigh and lead Zak and Darren out of the house.  
"We're stopping at my house so I can change first," Zak declares.  
"Fine. But then you're calling double-D," Darren demands.  
"Deal," he nods. I smile and roll my eyes.  
About half an hour later, we're all changed out of our uniforms and walking around town. Zak and Darren are still arguing about Zak calling double-D and I'd be lying if I said I didn't join in every so often.  
"You just don't wanna call her because you know it's a fake number," Darren snaps.  
"Not true. I just don't wanna seem desperate," Zak snaps back.  
"You're always desperate. Quit stalling and call already," I scoff.  
"Fine, looking I'm calling," he growls. He sits on a park bench and dials the number onto his cell phone. Darren and I sit beside him and lean in to hear to conversation.  
It rings twice before someone answers. "Hello, Chang's Chinese Restaurant. How can we help you?"  
"Oh!" Darren and I exclaim and burst into laughter. Zak sighs as his phone slowly slips from his ear. I grab and hold it to mine.  
"Yeah, hi. I'd like an order of chicken fried rice and chicken balls please. To go," I say between laughing.  
"Uh, okay. Name please?" the employee asks confusedly.  
"Vince," I snicker.  
"Okay. Your meal will be ready in twenty minutes. Thank you."  
"No, thank you," I laugh and hang up, tossing the phone to Zak.  
"Aw, man," he groans.  
"Oh, don't worry about it. It's not that bad," Darren pats his shoulder then snorts, "I mean you must've seen it coming."  
I laugh then ruffle his shoulder, "it's okay, Zak. You're too cool for double-D."  
"No I'm not," he sighs then smirks, "but thanks for cheering me up."  
Darren and I pat his shoulders then I stand up. "Come on, it'll take at least twenty minutes to get to Chang's. Let's go get some food."  
"Yeah, Chinese food!" Zak cheers and we chase each other out of the park and to the north side of town.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Hey Mama by Black Eyed Peas blasts from Zak’s iPhone while the three of us dance down the street, Chinese food in hand. Every so often one of us will grab a forkful of rice or a chicken ball and continue to rock out.  
“So, are you feeling better about double-D?” I ask Zak. Darren laughs.  
“Yeah. Like who cares about her. I can get phone numbers from girls way hotter than her,” Zak smirks.  
“Whatever you say, Zak,” Darren scoffs.  
Zak growls at him but otherwise ignores him. I smile and bite into a chicken ball.  
“Hey, check it out. It’s the disco wannabes,” Darren announces as a group of kids come around the corner in rollerblades and disco clothes.  
“Nice beats, bro,” the leader, the one with the fake afro, exclaims as they roll by. We wave at them and even high five a couple as they disappear around another corner.  
I should explain something about our little school system. See, the district believes that if you teach kids at a young age that breaking rules, disobeying superiors, and most of all originality is wrong, they’ll believe it the rest of their lives. So they’ve used this system on students for decades.  
However, it is nowhere near flawless. According to Darren, it only works on 1 in every 5 students. That one student usually has a family that supports the system because they grew up in it. The other four students most likely have families that believe in originality. For example, my mom is a painter, not as a career more of a hobby. So of course she would believe in originality.   
At first glance you’d think Darren’s family supports the system, but the truth is Darren is the only really smart person in his family. As a result, he’s the only one who knows about the system so he can fight.  
As for Zak, well his family didn’t live here their whole life like most so the system doesn’t affect them. Darren thinks it only works on students who have been subject to it their whole life.  
Anyway, most students in our town have maintained their originality, but so as not to get into trouble, we act like mindless zombies during classes. Most teachers know it’s just an act, but as long as we follow the rules they couldn’t care less.  
After school is an entirely different story. Most of the time, teenagers can be seen goofing off at home or hanging out around town, most likely breaking rules. It’s a strange life we live, but it’s a life nonetheless.  
“Hey, look. It’s double-D,” Darren exclaims. We follow his line of sight to double-D running into an alley.  
“Great, let’s go confront her,” Zak snarls.  
“Whoa, you can’t confront double-D. The cheerleaders will kick your ass,” I warn.  
“I don’t care,” he growls.  
“You don’t care? Getting beaten up by a bunch of girls doesn’t faze you?” I ask.  
“Come on, Vince. Why ruin his dreams? If he wants to get his ass kicked by the scariest group of girls I’ve ever seen, let him,” Darren laughs.  
Zak spins around and runs down the road to the alley. “Zak!” I yell after him but he disappears. I sigh and scoff, “damn it, Darren.” He laughs as we run after Zak.  
We turn down the alley and nearly run into him.  
“Zak. Come on, let’s go to Darren’s,” I whine and tug on his shoulder. Then I notice how rigid and pale he is.  
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I ask as Darren and I peek over his shoulders. What we see cause our legs to go weak.  
There’s an old, ruined building in front of us and from where we’re standing we can see straight through a broken window. Standing in that room is double-D and some black haired man. D is covered in blood.   
The man has her by her neck, a blade pressing up against her throat. I wince when her tear-filled eyes look at us.  
The blade slices her neck open and she falls to the ground. Our Chinese food falls from our hands and we run away.  
We run and run and don’t stop running until we reach the park on the other side of town. We collapse on a bench and stare at the darkening sky.  
“That- that… you guys saw that, right? I didn’t hallucinate that,” Zak pants  
Darren and I don’t answer. We just stare at the sky, trying to catch our breath with very little success.  
After a few minutes, Darren speaks up, “we-we-we-we have to tell the cops.”  
“Right, okay,” Zak nods and we stand up and run for the police station. We only make it half way before our tired legs give out beneath us. Afterwards we walk to the police station.  
Once we finally make it, we blast through the glass doors and fall against the front desk. But nobody’s there.  
“Where is everyone?” Zak asks.  
“Maybe they went to get donuts or something,” Darren sighs and sits on a chair, “let’s just wait.”   
Zak and I collapse into chairs beside him.  
I don’t know how Darren can think rationally right now. My mind is completely blank, except for two things. I keep seeing Donna’s eyes when she looked at us. She was terrified, but she knew we were there. She saw us.  
I also see the murderer’s blade. Just before we ran away I caught a glimpse of it. It’s a machete with a black blade and an ivory white handle. I’ve never seen a knife like that. If I wasn’t so horrified I’d be impressed.  
The door opens and a man walks in, but I don’t pay attention to him. I barely notice when he sits beside us.  
“You kids look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he comments. I glance at him. He’s got messy black hair and dark eyes. He looks familiar.  
“You could say that,” Darren mumbles.  
“Might I suggest keeping it to yourself? Sometimes telling people secrets can hurt others, just like how you’re two friends got hurt,” he hisses  
We look at him with confusion. He smiles the creepiest smile I’ve ever seen and pulls back his coat, revealing a black bladed machete with an ivory white handle.  
We’re out the door before he can even blink. He doesn’t chase after us but we keep running anyway. We don’t stop until out legs buckle beneath us and we collapse on the sidewalk.  
“Oh, my God! He’s gonna kill us!” Zak exclaims.  
“Calm down. If he wanted to kill us he would’ve already. The important thing is not to panic. People always panic in slasher movies and they always die,” Darren growls.  
“This isn’t a movie, Darren. This is real life, and we just witnessed a murder!” Zak snaps, “the one thing we should do is panic. Right, Vince?”  
I stare at the ground.  
“Vince?” he shakes my shoulder.  
“What? Oh, I don’t know,” I sigh and stand up, “I think we should go home. That’s the safest place to be right now.”  
“Oh. Okay. I guess you’re right,” Zak nods. They stand up and we walk down the street to our houses.  
“See you, Vince. Stay safe,” Darren says as I walk to my front door.  
“You too. See you tomorrow,” I wave to them and step through the door. I lock the door and sigh.  
“Hi, honey,” Mom chirps from the kitchen, “did you eat? Are you hungry?”  
“No, we uh ordered Chinese food,” I tell her as I kick off my shoes and walk to the stairs.  
“That’s nice. Was it good?” she asks.  
“It was okay,” I shrug.  
“Are you okay?” I turn around and notice her standing right behind me, “honey, you’re as white as a sheet.”  
“I’m fine. Just tired. I think I’ll go to bed early tonight,” I fake a yawn for effect.  
“Oh, okay,” she kisses my forehead and smiles that comforting smile of hers, “have a good sleep. I love you.”  
“Love you too, Mom,” I sigh and run up the stairs. I slam my bedroom door shut and collapse onto my bed. I bury my face into the pillow as tears start streaming down my face. What am I going to do? If I tell the cops he’ll kill me, but if I don’t… then what? Will he leave me alone? But if I don’t tell anyone, then I have to deal with the guilt of seeing Donna murdered. What do I do?  
I sigh and hug my pillow. I don’t wanna think about it anymore. I just wanna sleep. I wanna disappear for a few hours.  
The last thing I see before falling asleep, is that black machete with the ivory white handle.


End file.
